Used Wii U Allows Access to Old Users’ Games

It was reported that gamers who bought a second-hand Wii U console can re-download any content that its previous owner already purchased. In relation to this, a NeoGAF member claims that this is possible even after removing old user accounts and cleaning the hard drive.

Downloaded Content + Wii U Console = Free Games

As reported by gaming website Eurogamer, this matter has something to do with downloaded content being tied on a specific console and not on a user account.

The reason for this appears to be that licenses for downloaded content are tied to a specific Wii U console, not a single user account. This [sic] tallies with the fact that all users of the console can access downloaded content, regardless of who purchased it.

Additionally, a user’s account or their Nintendo Network ID—together with any downloaded purchase history—is tied to a single console. The only way to recover an ID from another Wii U is by sending it to Nintendo’s customer support. However, only Nintendo of America has the capacity to do this.

The Good News and the Bad News

Because of the current situation, it appears that gamers who are trading their Wii U have no choice but to leave access to content that are already downloaded in the machine. This is bad news for people who may eventually reconsider their trade-in, as well as to those who are unlikely to have any extra exchange value for it.

It also has a negative effect on Nintendo, as it has no way of stopping cheaper, second-hand consoles loaded with free games to become available as of the moment. On the other hand, it is good news for anyone who picked a second-hand Wii U. That’s because they may find a couple of free games in it waiting to be downloaded again.

Trine 2 Game Devs Talk About Wii U’s Slow CPU and Untapped Potential

In another news, Trine 2 developers Frozenbyte Games talked about how difficult it is to port the game on Nintendo’s Wii U during an interview with Gaming Bolt. When asked if they believed with the console’s potential:

Absolutely, but again in a very different direction that Nintendo has always been known for. They create their own standards and have huge IPs to fall back on. As for untapping the hidden power of new consoles… I think Nintendo personifies that in all of their party titles, regardless of the actual CPU or GPU performance.